2011 AMA National Hare & Hound
With his second-place finish at Johnson Valley, Calif., Factory FMF/KTM’s Kurt Caselli clinched the 2011 AMA Hare & Hound Championship with one round remaining.
Kurt Caselli (Factory FMF/KTM) says: "I knew going into this race that I just had to finish ahead of David Pearson and I would be able to win the championship, so my goal was to ride my own race and focus on making no mistakes and staying ahead of David."
Caselli began the race in third, but made it into second behind Kendall Norman. Although he chased him down, Caselli was unable to catch Norman, who won at Johnson Valley. Caselli would finish 30 seconds behind, with Destry Abbott in third.
Kurt Caselli says: "Every time I closed in on Kendall the dust would get so thick it was impossible for me to pass without taking a big risk of crashing. I didn’t want to take those chances knowing the championship was on the line."
Antti Kallonen (Factory FMF/KTM Team Manager) says: "We are very proud of Kurt. He has worked very hard this season toward winning this championship and we are excited that he is able to win one round early. This is his first full year commitment to this series and it is great to see him walk away with the title after just one season."
Next Event: Round 10 – Oct. 23, 2011 – Lucerne, Calif.
2011 AMA Hare & Hound Overall Results:
1. Kendall Norman
2. Kurt Caselli – KTM
3. Destry Abbott
4. Jacob Argubright
5. David Pearson